Review: Wide Awake by Shelly Crane

When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.

Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Review:

Wide awake is very well written and an absolute page turner. I think I had about two bathroom breaks reading it because I wanted to find out what happened in the end! If that happens when you're reading it must be a good book.

The premise was interesting. If you woke up from a coma and had no memory of who you were BC (before coma) then what would you do? Emma has this dilemma even though she's assured that her memory may come back over time. Small things may trip her into remembering features of her past life. However when Emma is gradually told about who she was BC she's not entirely sure she wants to be that person again. Arrogant, demanding, a girl with a jock of a boyfriend (who even started dating someone else while she was in said coma), someone who ruled the school with a 'look at me' attitude. I wasn't sure I'd want to be that person either.

She doesn't know her parents or siblings, she can't relate to them in any way so while she's in hospital she gets closer to Mason, her physiotherapist who visited her daily during C. Soon after waking she develops a crush on him only to learn that he has feelings for her too.

The story unfolds and what I loved about this book is the way Emma stuck to her guns and didn't give in to her family trying to mold her back into the person she once was. She not daddy's girl any more, in fact he can't stand to be around her because she isn't 'his daughter'. Her mother appeared to love the antics of old Emma, antics that are cringe-worthy. In the end Emma finds no peace within her world except when she's with Mason.

Learning about Mason gives her life more meaning and soon she's wrapped in a new world away from the norm. As we reach the end I actually feel very sorry for Emma. The emotions that Crane brings out are true and very real. Emma suffers right until the end.